Tips for Disaster Preparedness - Home inventories

Good morning my name is Dave Jones in California's Insurance Commissioner and I am joined today by Robin Kaufman we're here at her home and this very home was destroyed in feet two thousand seven wild fire that swept through the San Diego area the purpose of our being here today is to get the word out people to San Diego area but also throughout California of the importance of being prepared as we enter this new wildfire season experts tell us that wildfires of the type that struck this area two thousand seven occur every four years instant just four years since two thousand seven while parsons played a very concerned we may be going into yet another season of very dangerous wildfires it's really important that homeowners take all steps necessary to defend their homes against the fire that includes things like creating defensible space traveler homes using in flammable or non flammable mature eels for landscaping are the kinds of things that robin is done but another key element of preparation is to inventory the contents of your home it's absolutely essential that you create a list and even better of videotape all of the contents of your home and the features of your home so you have that available to you in a safe place apart from your home if the worst happens you are prepared in the event of a disaster prepared to talk to your insurance company about what they should cover if your home burns down in far too many cases disputes arise between homeowners and insurance companies over what valuables were in the home but for sure was in the home what home improvements were done to the home you can ovoid all of those disputes by taking the time now to list all of those features of your home list all of your valuables indicate what their value is but also make a video tape of those things to identify them to and that's exactly what robin kaufman did she's going to talk about it in a moment she had eight video inventory of the contents of a recall which she had just by happenstance prepared and sent to a friend who have been unable to visit her home just to share with her friend how beautiful her home was thankfully the friend kept that videotape and when the worst happened when this home was destroyed robin had access to it so that when those inevitable disputes occurred with the insurance company she could point to that videotape improve the various things that she had all of the things she'd lovingly had collected all of those valuables but also all of the tremendous value she put into the repairs and renovations for the home she had a videotape sat the insurance company could not game say that so here's a couple of really important steps that Californians can take today known your insurance policies in any way understand the coverage and its terms be sure to include recently acquired assets or remodels and also little windy here in San Diego thanks from also pictured that she'll talk to your agent broker about whether you have sufficient replacement coverage for your home we just recently announced new regulations that the department insurance that require agents and brokers and insurers provide homeowners with complete accurate and comprehensive information about the replacement value of your home so had that conversation now with your agent broker conduct a home in victory catalog the condition of your home in assets keeper seats for major purchases art electronica quickening and appliances maintainer preparedness kit keep emergency food and water seasonally appropriate clothes cash at home in the true records close at hand this includes copies of your insurance policy in financial records including important agent contact information make an action plan know what types of disasters are likely to occur in your region map exit routes rally points of the family is separated mercy housing plans gas and water shut offs and have a conversation with all the members of your family but what you're gonna do if disaster strikes how you're going to get out of the home and we're going to meet one another to make sure each of you is safe so if disaster strikes we want to make sure that you're not a victim twice in detroit your assets of update your insurance policies because we don't want people to be victimized twice the victimization that occurs when it was their home for disaster but the victimization that also occurs if they can to get adequate coverage your insurance policy for a free home inventory and other helpful guides are questions about your insurance policy you can contact the California department of churns at one eight hundred ninety seven h_ e_ l_ p_ we had a brochure we can set up so that you that has all of the information we need for a home in detroit with that it's my pleasure to introduce robin kaufman who's a leader here in this community who someone who is now we went through a terrible terrible experience yourself but from that experience has worked really hard to educate other people in this community and throughout California about the things you need to do to be prepared anti-semites i think the commissioner covered most of the bases but as there are a fire satire myself i can't say uh... uh... talking and at socializing with the other fires survivors there were so many good just were not prepared and hopefully since the two thousand three fires and most specifically two thousand seven fires people are becoming more educated not only through the entrance um... and commissioners information if you get but also we have a group is called rb united and united policyholders and uilyas who've been uh... vigilant about making sure that people have the proper information about taking inventory and awhile we have the booklet that the insurance f commission i was talking about it is very important to have the pictorial inventory that's what really saved me with my insurance company so thank you all and i hope that uh... more people will be prepared for the coming uh... fire season sore happy to take any questions and then after the questions within it to a little uh... toward reforming plan out some of the things that uh... at your home make it safer and also to make it less likely to be destroyed in the event fire to any questions for either i a robin let me take the first at that and then uh... robin can also if you're the experience of folks in this community one of the things that we heard about loud and clear at the department of insurance wise disputes with insure for replacement coverage for the home some number of homeowners had been given inaccurate information were incomplete information about the level of coverage they needed to fully replace their home and so that's why just the other week i issued new regulations that near you that's okay just the other week i issued new regulations that require the insurance companies in agents and brokers to provide accurate complete and comprehensive information about replacement value home insurance purchasers and that's really important unfortunately the insurance companies have sued me to try to block those regulations but they're in effect now and they give homeowners a chance to have that conversation in the region broker and say look is the true replacement cost for this home and how much coverage due any day have for that animal throttle instead something from her experience actually the most common uh... comments that uh... most of my neighbors were saying where that k_ uh... they were underinsured and not necessarily their fault some of them had been contacting their insurance representatives on a yearly basis and they would talk to their insurance an agency mentions agents would say that they were properly covered actually that sorry it happened to me at one point after i had uh... remodeled my home i had to have to understand have leaks now five years before the fire and i had to remodel my whole home andy and when we showed them and and contacted them about the uh... the new uh... things that were in my home and to the renewed model remodeling uh... date commented that it let you know it dot wary of your covered and it wasn't it we had to really push to make sure that they knew what i had a date and wants to cover more and that's the most vital thing every year someone needs to contact their insurance company and and let them know what they've done and upgraded because it's it's when your house burns it's not like you just gotta go and and you know get a certain amount of money and buying a house its replacement cost is a totally different amounts of money then buying a house the questions yes but we do have a department of insurance died for inventories that is available to the public if you call our one eight hundred ninety seven helpline will send it out to you in that gives you a good sense of the level of detail but uh... detail is important i think particularly for things that are of high value it's important to identify those specifically uh... what their uh... cost was what the cost of replacements for those items so particular maybe not every piece of jewelry because jewelry is different value but the more expensive piece of jewelry that you will really be heartbroken uh... if you were to lose in not be able to replace that's just by way of example and robin are not doing anything about your experience again when it comes into sorry out of france's like if you are a master chef or you enjoy cooking your pots and pants and your nine cents and and all those are are going to be much different than the person who to values as their mike away for everything so in that sense it is important even though you saying oh well it's just fortune eyes it's not it could make the difference between you know i a three hundred dollar night and a thirty dollar night and you don't want interest to giving you thirty dollars for something that uh... you you had and much more expensive item beforehand so actually um... way really went into extreme detail so only thing that i did not do that i should have done was in my garage uh... i did not inventory of my garage and my garage was packed share of the gramm um... i had fracture from uh... a grandfather had passed away that i didn't have emporia grandmother who passed late and have room for yet and i also belong to a tremendous amount of organizations in the community and i was the storage unit four a lot of their items and uh... i did not have inventory for that it was off the top of my head which uh... didn't it was not a benefit when i was uh... trying to collect from insurance company any other questions great we also have a web site w_w_w_ insurance dot c dot cover we can go to get the home in materials so and again as we approach the high fire season we want to make sure that folks in the San Diego aaron throughout California are taking these simple steps to protect themselves their loved ones in their valuables so with that i think we're going to get a chance to see robbins beautiful home patsy immediately after i started getting once and for it state-run inventory outside accessories or liked it line not computer at except a lot of people are so this is way assisting in a lifetime beliefs and drives its fast eventful sending its different out-of-state and c decided it was youthful guiterrez improvement state why don't you love them both definitely at least for since which pullout myself close question the jurors separated image and christian has something that wasn't right now saadia pieces of furniture the televisions everything including the families that's leading hounded and she had on the grounds on how ignore all fernandez and i think it's very important because those are burnings and may not be enough but when you testified efforts you are out there it's not the type of candles and commodores yes you're on the apple store if you noticed like boris yeltsin up there also will still be wholesome may not selected make sure that you mentioned that i mean that's what you have to say that suspect that architects although it's much less than seven solitaire arm headset you can see a nice outdoor recreation prefers that you have copies of your uh... acura this it documented uh... chocolate or taking here is the obvious that statement for the fall in then foster's is somebody else's said you for fielded fits that fits your location like c hats session all the use of animals most definitely especially cease-fires that have been denied it's not gonna happen one on a lot of times it's going to be happening when you're at work a sixth-floor your outfitting said since here actives stefania both sides of the last selected hugely peanut out b highland idea away on home final as i said i think so dignified contributed answer fires as opposed to past starter and and the conflict one behind pregnant fires units that aren't as possible just because you incommunicado and half year uh... mascots since fifth budget for this was a little bit about the substance of this generally well in general you reflective swap stuff people have a lot different but conditions for the former football japan's mill universal about multiple house box seats the fact that there are places for his embers and flat taxer fish an action star part in addition separation the houses that were sent with the in one house to another that's that's really important for us because we do here is we've got love all fine we have to keep it spreading be up to the preferable issues his parents thinking ahead lessons from afar of work uh... miller what's the status quo meat-packing trees bushes before we talk about a hundred feet of defensible space where you think russian hackers admiral shaddock instinctively journals as it comes in your house and then we sort of let alone or miss lewis about feeders aware but that does is get surrounding chance at starting participants environment the other things to talk about what the moving to a possible first of all the details of the soft had uh... buddy of mine from things like that and it was only the shade liked what they should there be a part of the need for about one thing goes away because they do it by that these are not up against the house and influences transpire any questions from members of the media for rather than cheat blue above what i want to make it begins on the best for the first uh... discussion of his home in this regard identifiers universities and every senator byron dorgan of a lot of people in the circumstances that we're talking about right now this will take about an hour and i can't emphasize how important this for you to spend an hour in the event that you suffer the kind of tragedy robbed we want you to people able to recover fast quickly and as well as well it's not that far it's really the idea this booklet is it's a great a piece of work we've got some other materials inside that we've done in terms of our trip booked right before her recovery that red book titles with him after a fire but if you know what to do after it hopefully within four as well uh... you just need to be gasoline suture insurance covers is adequate that you understand the difference replacement value we're guaranteed expedited actual cash value all the other way searchers for always transposed to read these different things that we distribute free build depend on what should be more one entitlement minds in jesus name scenes exterior landscape verified sincere sent chin wsd apology on students nowadays it is not cheap to replace deduction okay well thank you very much we really appreciate all of that represents the media patchy dense fog with a secure because there's so much for any length of your beautiful home in ventura and expert molly ivins denunciations them man dean mean mean